C&O / GAP Forum

I’m on the trail now. Stopped at Pigmans Ferry for a break and a truck came up. Two workers came out and let me now they were installing handles all the way from Paw Paw to Cumberland. Not sure the status of the pumps on the other side of the tunnel. I’ll keep you posted

Great news as I prepare to make the trip soon. I look forward to any future updates about water availability and detours. Hope the remainder of your trip goes well.

In addition to Pigman's Ferry that Jlacho49 reports, the C&O site lists the following as now being on as well. As stated there may be even more as well as the Canal crews continue to install handles.

On Purslane Run Campsite (MM 156.9)
On Town Creek (MM 162)
On Potomac Forks (MM 165)

Nice one.
I'm leaving Pittsburgh on Sunday morning.
Going to try and slow down a bit this time. I need to smell the roses more. ??

Sunday's weather in the 'Burgh is forecast to be a little brisk with an overnight low Saturday night of 36 and a high for the day of 49. The forecasts for Monday and Tuesday are about the same albeit with a 50% chance of some showers on Monday during the day and the night.

Depending on when you leave town, I may see you along the way.

Good luck.

That would be great to see you on the trail. Booked in at the GapTrail camp ground for Sunday night. The thought of a hot shower sounded too good.
Yes the weather looks brisk.

Monday’s forecast has deteriorated. The forecast is now a 90% chance of 1/2” of rain during the day and a 60% chance of rain followed by snow showers that night. If it gets too miserable on the trail, you could bail out in Connellsville, either indoor or in the Adirondack shelters there.

Yep. I saw that. Hopefully I can get to Ohiopyle, as I have reserved a Yurt there.Fingers crossed.

I'll be heading out from Pittsburgh around 6am, straight off the train from Toledo

There are a couple of places to eat breakfast in the large Waterfront shopping area in Homestead through which the trail passes. There is an Eat n Park restaurant and a McDonald’s there. That’s about an hour out of town albeit maybe longer in the dark.

I’ve got to take daughter to airport for an early morning flight so you’ll likely make it to Homestead before I get back. I’ll be in an orange jacket and white helmet should we cross paths toward West Newton.

Probably been asked a gazillion times, but....
Looking for a safe secure place to store bike while I visit some attractions, museums etc.

DC is a bike friendly city.

There are bike racks to lock your bike to at many of the individual Smithsonian museum buildings.

My son-in-law who lived in DC until recently offered the suggestion below as well.

”One option is to tip a hotel luggage storage person and ask if he could store the bike in the temporary luggage storage at the hotel - get a claim ticket like a suitcase. I’ve done that before even at hotels that I wasn’t staying at.”

My son-in-law who lived in DC until recently offered the suggestion below as well.

”One option is to tip a hotel luggage storage person and ask if he could store the bike in the temporary luggage storage at the hotel - get a claim ticket like a suitcase. I’ve done that before even at hotels that I wasn’t staying at.”

Thanks. Good tips.
That would be the prefered method as I will have all my bags on the bike.

Does anyone know of any lodging options besides the lockhouses about halfway from Harpers Ferry to Georgetown? There seem to be places available on the south side of the Potomac but no easy way to get there? Any ferries available to take you across?

This isn’t the answer you’re looking for since I, myself, don’t have a good answer to your question. But, an off-the-wall alternative would be to leave the C&O at Harpers Ferry or Brunswick in route to Purcellville, VA and/or Leesburg, VA where lodging is readily available. This would break up the distance between Harper’s Ferry and Washington albeit by completing the trip into Washington on the W&OD Trail. This would require a fair amount of riding on the roads to reach the W&OD Trail and some climbing, particularly getting up out of the Potomac River valley. I’ve ridden from Purcellville to Harper’s Ferry. It is rideable but certainly not for everyone depending on one’s confidence to ride on the roads and their fitness.

As I said, probably not an answer you were hoping for but an option nonetheless. Hopefully, someone in that area can provide you a better solution.

I don't know what might be a reasonable cost for you but I did a quick search on airbnb and see some options around poolesville and seneca that aren't terribly far from the tow path.

24 miles east of Harpers Ferry Is Whites Ferry, cross the Potomac, Leesburg is about 4 miles up route 15. you should be able to secure lodging there.

24 miles east of Harpers Ferry Is Whites Ferry, cross the Potomac, Leesburg is about 4 miles up route 15. you should be able to secure lodging there.

Lenny. The only problem with the Whites Ferry crossing is that the crossing has been shut down for over a year.

It revolves around a property dispute between the landowner on the Virginia side and the ferry operator. The selling of the ferry service to a new owner hasn't budged the dispute.

This is so unfortunate. I used to love crossing the ferry with my bicycle when traveling through the area.

That said, I would cross the Potomac at Brunswick instead of Harpers Ferry. Brunswick is about 7 miles east of Harpers Ferry on the Canal. You still have to travel on roads. Personally I feel that there is less "Death Race 2000" traffic going from Brunswick to Purcelville than Harpers Ferry to Purcelville.

Hello all! Looking for any info you can provide for latest trail conditions. I will be biking from Cleveland, OH to Chesapeake VA starting 10Apr22, and will be taking the the GAP + C&O. Is the Big Savage and PawPaw tunnels open? are Water pumps unlocked yet for the season? thanks again for your insight!

It has been reported that the Big Savage Tunnel will be opened on April 1. I've not seen any indication that the exit of the Paw Paw Tunnel has been reopened obviating the need to take the bypass up and over the tunnel.

The C&O website that all the pumps at hiker/biker campsites along the C&O are currently off.

Remote Water Faucet List

On Fletcher's Cove (MM 3.21)
Off Lock 5 (MM 5)
Off Lock 10 (MM 8.8)
Off Carderock Recreation Area (MM 10.5)
Off Marsden Tract (MM 11.5)
Off Anglers Access (MM 12.2)
On Great Falls Tavern Restrooms (MM 14.3)
Off Swains Lockhouse (MM 16.64)
Off Swains Campground (MM 16.7)
Off Seneca Creek/Rileys (MM 22)
Off Horsepen Branch Campsite (MM 26)
Off Chisel Branch Campsite (MM 30.5)
Off Turtle Run Campsite (MM 34.4)
Off Marble Quarrry Campsite (MM 38.2)
Off Indian Flats (MM 42.4)
Off Calico Rocks Campsite (MM 47.7)
Off Bald Eagle Island Campsite (MM 50.3)
On Lock 34 (MM 61.5)
Off Huckleberry Hill Campsite (MM 62.9)
Off Antietam Creek Campground (MM 69.6)
Off Killiansburg Cave Campsite (MM 75.4)
Off Horseshoe Bend Campsite (MM 79.7)
Off Big Woods Campsite (MM 82.4)
Off Opequon Junction Campsite (MM 90.8)
Off Cumberland Valley Campsite (MM 95.2)
Off Cushwa Basin Restrooms (MM 99.7)
Off Jordan Junction Campsite (MM 101.2)
Off Four Locks Picnic Area (MM 108.9)
Off North Mountain Campsite (MM 109.2)
Off McCoys Ferry (MM 110)
Off Licking Creek Campsite (MM 116)
Off Little Pool Campsite (MM 120.7)
Off White Rock Campsite (MM 126.5)
Off Leopards Mill (MM 129.9)
Off Cacapon Junction (MM 133.6)
Off Indigo Neck (MM 139)
Off Fifteen Mile Creek Campground (MM 140.9)
Off Devils Alley (MM 144.5)
Off Stickpile Hill Campsite (MM 149.3)
Off Sorrel Ridge Campsite (MM 154.1)
Off Arbaugh (MM 155) - Out of Service until further notice.
Off Paw Paw (MM 156)
Off Purslane Run Campsite (MM 156.9)
Off Town Creek (MM 162)
Off Potomac Forks (MM 165)
Off Pigmans Ferry (MM 169)
Off Spring Gap (MM 173)
Off Irons Mountain Campsite (MM 175.4)
Off Evitts Creek Campsite (MM 180)
Off Cumberland Visitor Center (MM 184.5)

I am curious what bike route you are taking from Cleveland to Pittsburgh?

Solid feedback! thank you so much!

Cleveland to Bolivar OH via Ohio-Erie Towpath Canal Trail
--Zoar Valley Trail to Zoarville, OH
--Road/gravel roads to Bowerston OH
--Conotton Creek Trail to Jewett OH
--Road to Steubenville OH
--Pick up the Panhandle trail in WV to Montour trail in PA,
---Connect to Gap trail in Mckeesport.

thats the rough plan!

Thanks again for your help!

JLacho49:

Thanks for that route info from Cleveland especially the Ohio portions as I am quite familiar with the Panhandle and Montour Trails as well as the GAP and C&O. FYI, there are no campsites on the Panhandle Trail aside from stealth camping and only a couple on the Montour Trail in route to McKeesport. Aside from purchasing water, there are virtually no pumps/faucets along the Panhandle and Montour Trails that you will be taking. The first campground on the GAP would be at Dravo Landing which normally has potable well water there. There may also be city water in McKeesport and Boston, PA if it has been turned on by then.

What date do you think you'll hit the GAP at Pittsburgh?
I'll be starting my thru trip to DC 4/17/22.

Kim,
I should be through and into Cumberland by Monday. I’ll report back the trail conditions once I’m done. Good luck!

Thanks. That would be really helpful.
Looking at the 14 day weather forecast, it looks like rain for my first 3 days.
Enjoy your trip.

What’s the latest and greatest with the Paw Paw tunnel? Can you bike through? Or do you still have to bike-a-bike over the mountain? I’ve visited the website, but it doesn’t seem like it’s been updated lately. Anyone been through this year yet?

Thanks I’m advance!
-Jake-

If you don’t hear from a rider that’s been through that area recently you should be able to get confirmation of the status of that area by contacting the National Park Service at 301-739-4200 itself or one of the local lodging options in Paw Paw.

I just heard back from a C&O employee and there are no changes in 2022. The tunnel status is the same as last summer. It’s technically “open” but the downstream side is closed and they recommend the detour up and over the hill to bypass the bad parts of the rock fall.

That said, many have gone through and carefully negotiated the debris after you exit the tunnel, most of which you will be walking your bike over. The risk, besides rocks falling on you, is that it’s so muddy and impassable that you have to do a 180 and go back through the tunnel to reach the detour. That will at be an hour of wasted time minimum. You can attempt it but be prepared to have to turn back. Like Rivnuts said, as you are 10 miles or so from the tunnel, ask approaching riders what they did. Did you ride through or take the detour? If the majority say they went though then you know its a relatively easy pass. That’s what I experienced last summer when I went through.

The person that I spoke to added that they are hoping the project gets completed by the end of 2022 but no guarantees so this whole summer riding season will see the detour question appear again.

Good luck.

The GAP Trail website added the following two new trail alerts today:

Slope Repair Near Frostburg (GAP Mile 11) Partially Obstructed: Work will begin in early April and is scheduled to last for two or three weeks, depending on weather conditions.


Resurfacing in Ohiopyle State Park (GAP Mile 86) Partially Obstructed: The GAP remains open during resurfacing, but travel cautiously and watch for construction vehicles. Be prepared to stop.

Trying to help put together a trip on the C&O for a Boy Scout Troop.

They have done it before, but I can not remember the name of one of the camp sites that you can drive to.

As I recall it has like 6 camp sites and a small bridge to walk over to get to the sites. You did need to pay to use the sites.

Plan:
Cumberland (YMCA)
Paw Paw campsite
????
Brunswick Family Camp Ground
Swains Lock

Thanks;

Gary

There are reservable, pay-to-stay camp sites that you can drive to between Paw Paw and Brunswick at Fifteen Mile Creek, Fort Frederick, McCoys Ferry and Antietam Creek. The latter two are roughly mid way between Paw Paw and Brunswick. However, I’m not certain that either match your description. Perhaps, locate them using the satellite view in Google Maps to see if either look familiar.

Today the GAP website reports:

The resurfacing and culvert repair project between Connellsville and Whitsett (GAP Mile 90) is complete and a new trail surface welcomes travelers.

Is the trail to Dravo open now?

As far as I know it is open. It was late last year when I last rode out that way. The trail to Dravo Landing was closed for a major sewer replacement for several months but was reopened last spring.

I rode from Homestead, PA to West Newton today passing through Buena Vista and by Dravo Landing in route. Indeed the trail is open following the adjacent sewer line replacement project completed last year. The trail was in good shape especially given the time of year and recent rainfall.

I rode from Homestead, PA to West Newton today passing through Buena Vista and by Dravo Landing in route. Indeed the trail is open following the adjacent sewer line replacement project completed last year. The trail was in good shape especially given the time of year and recent rainfall.

Looking for a good campground close to mile 0.

If you are referring to Mile Marker 0 of the GAP in Cumberland, I would recommend the YMCA there. It’s maybe a mile away from Canal Place in Cumberland where the GAP mile markers begin counting. It’s a pay-for-stay site but you have access to the YMCA facilities, notably the showers, and there is a small covered pavilion if you encounter inclement weather there.

If you are referring to Milepost 0 of the C&O in Washington, i am not aware of any campsites nearby. The last camp site on the C&O approaching DC is at Swain’s Lock which is around 17 miles from Milepost 0.

Perhaps someone local to DC can offer additional insight into camping areas around DC.

I hope this answers your question.

From the GAP website today:

"Somerset County will open the Big Savage Tunnel for the season the afternoon of Friday, April 1. Take caution while biking or hiking near the tunnel as the limestone trail surface will remain soft from melting snow and lingering winter temperatures at that altitude."

Last September my wife and I thru hiked the C&O towpath from Georgetown to Cumberland over a 10 day period.

This summer we are planning to do the GAP. Is the GAP AA easy to follow as the C&O? Other than a couple of detours for the tunnel and a rock slide the C&O is effortless to follow and hoping GAP is same?

Any feedback about hiking GAP v C&O is appreciated!

The GAP is very very easy to follow. You might reach for your map once or twice on your last day as you get into Pittsburg.

I concur with. Bill from Houston. It’s pretty much “follow the yellow brick road” from Cumberland to Pittsburgh. There are a couple twists and turns leaving Cumberland and the trail from Little Boston into McKeesport could be better marked. Once you reach McKeesport in route to Pittsburgh, it is pretty straight forward. There are several options entering Pittsburgh you can take but as long as you can see and follow the Monongahela River, you’ll make it to the end of the GAP in Point State Park.

Are you aware there is no hostel in Pittsburgh? For years, a volunteer organization raised money to open a hostel at the South Side Travelers Rest (SSTR) on South 6th Street. The SSTR opened, complete with bunk rooms, but management is using last year's Covid pandemic as an excuse not to let out individual beds in the dormrooms. So, a solo cyclist on the GAP must buy a full room with three beds. This is very pricey for someone traveling alone.
Of course, there is the Not-a-Hostel in Pittsburgh, but the arrangement there is informal and it is not located as conveniently to the GAP as the SSTR is.
The train arrives in Pittsburgh after dark so it would be nice to have somewhere not overpriced or ad hoc to stay for the night before beginning the GAP in the morning. Otherwise, I'll have to bypass siteseeing in Pittsburgh, travel in the dark, and trudge on to the first hiker/biker campsite. The volunteers who donated their time and money to SSTR saw the lack of a hostel in Pittsburgh as a problem. Unfortunately, after the work has been done, SSTR, no longer feels this is a problem.
As I noted, SSTR seems to have dorm bunk rooms and is aleady designed to be run as a hostel. They may be under the mistaken idea that they can make more money by forcing cyclists to rent an entire room that filling a dorm room with solo travelers. Having a forum on your site might be helful in convincing SSTR to offer its beds as a hostel for GAP riders for the upcoming season starting in May 2022.

Mr. Katz:

In March of 2018, the opening of the SSTR hostel in the Southside area of Pittsburgh was announced in the local paper. I sent an email to the proprietor offering some suggestions to improve its visibility and marketing to the cycling community. I ride by there frequently but haven't seen any obvious signs of success in its operation and, frankly, questioned whether it was still operating at all. I see that it now is being marketed as a 1-star hotel rather than a hostel.

If it is true that it no longer plans to operate as a hostel, and it appears that that is the case, then it is unfortunate for the reasons you note. I agree a hostel near the train station would be ideal given the time of departures from and arrivals in Pittsburgh. However, the train station is located at the edge of downtown Pittsburgh and the adjacent old produce terminal district which is undergoing a revitalization. Property values in that area are very expensive for the likes of a hostel.

I stayed there about 3 or so years ago when it was a hostel. The room that I stayed in was all bunkbeds and I think the rate was about $35 a night. It was a nice place to stay but I guess they decided the hotel route was better for them.

I am riding GAP/C&O starting May 1, 2022 and looking for information about detours. I was told that last year there were several detours around tunnels that were being repaired. Does anyone have information about closed sections of the trail? Thank you.

I road the GAP and C&O late last Fall and encountered only two detours. They were the well discussed detour around the Paw Paw Tunnel and the detour at McMahon’s Mill (~MP 88) on the C&O. You can find trail closure/detour announcements for the respective trails at the following web sites

https://www.nps.gov/choh/planyourvisit/conditions.htm
https://gaptrail.org/updates/

The information there can sometimes be dated so I would recommend that you continue to watch this and other forums for any changes to the status of these trail closures.

Perhaps someone that has ridden the C&O more recently than I can confirm or deny my experiences last Fall.

Thanks to Rivnuts for sharing such detailed information, plus resources. It is folks like you that give a forum like this the life that it has. Contributors like you provide a great service to those of us who just do not know the trails so well. I want you all to know how much many of us appreciate your contributions.

Do the Capital Crescent Trail and the C & O intersect, or do they just run parallel to each other?

The Capital Crescent Trail crosses/intersects the C&O Towpath as it approaches Fletcher's Boat House located along the Towpath and then generally parallels the Towpath on into Georgetown for about 3.5 miles toward Milepost 0.

Fletchers Cove is at this coordinate in google maps: 38.9193546, -77.1016344.

It appears this is a motorcycle shop, not a bicycle shop

It is not clear what the original message was that spawned the beginning of this thread but there are at least two good bicycle shops in Cumberland. They are the Cumberland Trail Connection and Cycles & Things. I’ve been to both during my trips down the GAP and C&O and found them well stocked and very helpful.